Caught in the Current (open to multiple)

[fucking_ebay]

Peter's having a fairly ordinary dream -- that is, he's onstage in front of an audience, doing his old Vegas show in the nude, and none of the fire effects are working. He's not actually bothered by the nudity, which his dreaming mind seems to think is just part of the act, but he keeps getting confused about what part they're on. He hasn't rehearsed in weeks, and he's stumbling through all his lines and illusions.

Around the time the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (TM) melts away to be replaced by Central Park, Peter's remembered that he doesn't live in Vegas anymore, and his befuddled mind is well on its way to working out that he's dreaming. He doesn't get a chance to come to his senses and enjoy his shot at lucid dreaming, though, before something goes terribly wrong. This time as the backdrop melts away, there's nothing to replace it. He feels himself being pulled, drawn away somehow -- and, helpless to resist, his sleeping mind is sent spinning off into the ether of the Dreaming. Flailing at nothing, he's carried away -- until, of course, he collides with another mind and finds himself in another person's dream.


[OOC: Peter's been carried off like a twig in a river -- and he's going to smack into a few rocks other minds before the night's through. He can still be naked for the first one if desired. Have at!]

Comments

[wildmage_daine]

Daine doesn't respond for a few moments, but instead focuses on petting Zek and getting her emotions under control. As she calms herself, it finally occurs to her that it's strange for someone to be visiting her dreams so... well, accidentally (or so it seems to her). The last two times someone had showed up, they'd seemed to have some idea of what they were doing, and some purpose behind their visit. If this is really Peter, what could he possibly want with her?

"What are you doing here?" she asks, more genuinely baffled than accusatory.

[fucking_ebay]

"Fuck if I know," replies Peter, finally deciding that maybe the dinosaurs aren't about to reappear and tear him to shreds. He shoves his hands in his pockets and squints down at the monkey-thing in the young woman's lap. "But you're the third person's head I've been dragged into tonight. It's getting old."

[wildmage_daine]

"So you're not doing it a-purpose," she states, nose wrinkling as she considers the idea of getting hauled into strangers' heads without having any choice or control over the matter. No wonder he's grumpy. Daine transfers Zek to her shoulder and clambers back to her feet. "Sorry I scared you," she apologizes again. She really needs to work on not showing random strangers the most unpleasant parts of her past.

[fucking_ebay]

Peter snorts and looks away. "I've seen worse." Which isn't to say he wasn't scared. He's not sure if this is better or worse than having other people wandering into his head -- at least this way, he's less likely to show them one of his nightmares. Remembering Topher seeing him so vulnerable still makes him bristle.

Frowning, he allows himself to be curious. "Was that an actual memory, or are you just having weird dreams?" he asks. He's going to feel stupid if she laughs at him for thinking any of that could have been real.

[wildmage_daine]

Has he? Daine's not sure if he's serious or just trying to make himself feel better, but either way, probably best not to discuss it.

Then again, it might be better than the way things are heading, now. Daine presses her lips together as Zek's fur brushes against her neck. Maybe she should try to pass it off as just a bad dream; goddess knows that's how she's been inclined to see it now that it's over and she's left. "Both," she finally replies, shrugging her unoccupied shoulder.

[fucking_ebay]

That earns a sniff. Same sort of answer he'd give in her position, if she saw one of his vampire dreams. "Right," he says and leaves it at that, telling himself he just doesn't want to know what kind of world allows for the shit he just saw.

"No more dinosaurs and bears and shit?" he requests, abruptly flopping down in the grass. "I'm too tired for that kind of crap."

[wildmage_daine]

At least he's not prying. Daine lets out a relieved breath as Peter flops to the ground. "No more," she agrees. She's not thrilled to have Peter in her head, but it's not as if he wants to be here, either. The least she can do is try to be a good hostess. "Marmosets all right with you?" she asks with a faint smile, pointing to Zek.

[fucking_ebay]

"The hell is a marmoset?" asks Peter, shading his eyes to peer up at her and the monkey-thing. He's not exactly a summery, outdoorsy sort of person, but considering the alternatives he's seen in a few people's minds -- including his own -- he's not about to object to whatever this place is supposed to be.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine sits down beside him - not too close, but within arm's reach. "This is," she says, removing Zek from her shoulder so Peter can get a better look at him. "They're little monkeys that live in rainforests."

[fucking_ebay]

Peter sits up and eyeballs the little monkey-thing. He could almost mistake it for a squirrel, actually, since it's so small. "And you just happen to have one?" he asks. It's a dream, but...why dream about marmosets?

[wildmage_daine]

"His name is Zek. I rescued him in Carthak and took him home with me." Zek clings to her hand and blinks gravely at Peter. "I wouldn't have one, otherwise; they're not native to Tortall."

[fucking_ebay]

Peter considers. He's never heard of this Carthak place, and somehow, he doesn't think walking dinosaur skeletons are a regular occurrence on any world like his own. "You're from some weird world, aren't you?" he asks.

[wildmage_daine]

Daine lets out a faint snort as she puts Zek back on her shoulder. "Not as weird as the realm I'm stuck in, now," she says frankly. Giving Peter a curious sidelong glance, she asks, "What about you?"

[fucking_ebay]

"Normal," he replies. "Extremely normal. No aliens, no bloody great rifts spitting things at you, no..." he waves a hand as he tries to think of another thing his current location has that he'd rather it not, "doppelgangers."

[wildmage_daine]

"Didn't have those in my realm, either," Daine says with a wistful nod. Then again, given how he reacted in Carthak, she suspects his world isn't anything like hers. "So what's 'normal' where you come from? No gods or monsters?"

[fucking_ebay]

"Shit, no. None of that crap." Which is a lie, because his world did have monsters. They just weren't the sort of monsters people knew about, or acknowledged. "Pretty much the same as the one I'm in now, except for the rift and the...immigrants."

[wildmage_daine]

Daine frowns a little at hearing the gods referred to as 'crap.' Then again, this realm doesn't seem to have any gods worth noting, so maybe Peter's doesn't, either. Otherwise, it's be an awfully foolish thing to say.

"What did you do there?" she asks instead of scolding him. It's not as if she wants to talk about her experiences with the gods; he's already seen more of that than she'd've liked.

[fucking_ebay]

Peter may yet live to regret his cavalier attitude toward (or against) higher powers, particularly if Gabriel turns out to really be what he says he is. The question makes him preen a little in anticipation, his clothing shifting to something more like his stage outfit, all black leather and shining metal. He at least doesn't manifest the wig and fake beard, though.

"Magic," he replies smugly.

[wildmage_daine]

"Really?" Daine sits up a bit straighter, interest piqued. This is the first human she's met who's mentioned magic as if it's a real, everyday thing, and she conveniently forgets how terrified he was of her brand of magic in her excitement. "What kind?" she asks eagerly.

[fucking_ebay]

Finally, someone who appreciates his line of work. Peter is more than ready to bask in the attention.

"Stage," he supplies. "Big spectacle stuff -- little bit of escapology, bunch of conjuring, pyrotechnics, that sort of thing."

[wildmage_daine]

'Conjuring' she gets; the other two terms fly over her head. But the word that really catches her attention is 'stage,' and her smile slips a little. "You mean it's for show?" Doesn't mean Peter doesn't have magic - Numair knows sleight-of-hand, and he's a very powerful mage - but it's a bit less impressive than actually doing something useful.

[fucking_ebay]

Peter snorts deeply. "What else would it be for? Not like I was going to spend this long learning it if I couldn't make some money off it."

[wildmage_daine]

Daine stares at him, torn between disbelief and indignation - as if there's really nothing better to do with magic than earn some coin! "If you really have magic, you could use it for plenty of things besides money. You could help folk." Her eyes narrow as it belatedly occurs to her that perhaps fancy tricks are all he can do. There might not be any proper magic involved at all. "Or is it all just sleight-of-hand and trickery?"

[fucking_ebay]

"Help folk?" It's Peter's turn to be incredulous now. How is an illusionist going to use his magic to help people? In a way he has done that -- it was his excessive research into the occult that equipped him and Charley to face down a real vampire -- but that's hardly been the main thrust of his career.

He blinks at her, finally catching on. "Oh, wow. I'm an illusionist," he explains, speaking slowly and condescendingly. "You do realize magic's just a load of bullshit? No such thing as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, while we're at it."

[wildmage_daine]

Daine lets out an indignant huff. "If you dont have magic, who're you to say if it's real or not? Your tricks might be fake, but my magic is perfectly real, thanks ever so." She folds her arms crossly. "How d'you think I took bear shape?"